


Wildfires (and other ways to burn down trees)

by KenkuKry



Series: amongst all creatures wild and tame (Spooky!Lads) [2]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Cyborg!Brian, Found Family, Gen, Ghost!Daithi, Spooky!Lads, Spooky!Lads AU, They are simply friends that reject blood family, Vampire!Dan, Werewolf!Sean, i guess?, made by alittlesliceofcucumber on tumblr, whuh oh angst time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27893014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KenkuKry/pseuds/KenkuKry
Summary: Something is wrong here.This is wrong.Get out.The Lads were used to this 'getting hunted down by monster hunters' business, they know how to easily get out of it every time. Except it goes wrong, and Kevin must face those who he's left behind.[Based on the wonderful AU by alittlesliceofcucumber on tumblr, written with permission!]
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: amongst all creatures wild and tame (Spooky!Lads) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042485
Comments: 51
Kudos: 126
Collections: Spooky!Lads AU





	1. Lost Things and Leaf Litter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WreakingHavok](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WreakingHavok/gifts).



> Gifted to Havok because I still can't get over the fact he called me his friend. Also, miss him :(  
> Also, Khio didn't beta this because they were busy writing an absolute banger of a fic, so if you see any mistakes please tell me! :D
> 
> (Second chapter is already written, it should be out in a couple days, after I'm 3/4 the way through the third!)

Kevin has lost a lot of things in his time of being a human.

Lighters, his wallet, friends, family, his sense of self, the awesome firestarter that Brian got him for his birthday.

He misses some more than others.

In the end, it doesn’t matter what he’s lost. What truly matters is what he has, and what he has is wonderful. He has friends who are complex and funny and are always down with his ideas to raise hell. Someone may argue that the fact that they’re inhuman creates a space where Kevin is the odd one out, but whoever ‘someone’ is is an idiot and Kevin fits in _perfectly_ with his dysfunctional little group.

He laughs nearly every day, whether it’s at Sean’s wolf form tripping over his own feet, or Daithi and Brian endlessly messing with each other, or Dan’s panicked yelp whenever a prank is pulled off. Kevin laughs, and he smiles, and he gets to stop thinking about everything he’s lost.

That was how he lived until he was forced to recognise what he’s lost.

\---------

Kevin wasn’t used to running, and his lungs were currently paying the price for that. Even with adrenaline flowing through his blood he’s starting to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen but _he can’t stop running_.

Ahead of him is Sean –in his wolf form– is kicking up the dead Autumn leaves while he’s running, as if that could somehow stop their pursuers. Somewhere above them, Dan is anxiously (Kevin can feel his fear, no matter how far they are) soaring, watching the ordeal play out.

Kevin isn’t sure who is following him, but when he saw them appear from around the corner before they took chase it appeared to be a group of three. Of course, Kevin didn’t catch much of them before running off when Daithi yelled _’monster hunters!’_. Maybe because he’s, y’know, _running for both his and his best friends’ lives_.

_Wait, where’s Daithi?_

Kevin’s heartbeat picks up another beat faster. _Shit shit shit **shit shit shit**_ , Brian’s running beside him but where’s Daithi?

Oh fuck, is Dan still above them? Brian’s running beside Kevin, obviously keeping pace with him to motivate. If Brian wanted to save his skin he’d be booking it ahead. But where’s Daithi? _Where the fuck is Daithi?_

Brian, who he sees in his peripheral, glanced around. Then, he stared at Kevin with wide eyes, making the same conclusion.

But they can’t stop running. Kevin can hear the shouting and the insulting names and the snapping of sticks. He can hear the sounds that motivate him to force every burning breath, even if he feels like his legs are going to buckle under him. Kevin knows he shouldn’t be scared, it’s not him these people are after. But, if they _do_ get him, he knows the lads would fight tooth and claw (quite literally) to get him back.

(He knows this because he would do the same)

Brian looks _terrified_. His movements are more jittery, a more jagged pattern. Kevin’s heart almost stops when Brian’s right leg freezes for a short moment, nearly putting him on a collision course for the ground.

“Brian!” Kevin yelled, voice straining from lack of breath, “what's happening?”

“Fuck,” Brian winced as his shoulder tensed up, worsening his balance, “they’re- the hunters- messing with my shit- fuck-”

Like a lighting a match in a gas-filled room, it all happened at once.

Kevin watched in horror as Brian stumbled, crumbled, and fell into the muddy leaf litter. There was so much _noise_ , Brian was yelling and when the hunters cried out in success Sean glanced back and gave a shrill bark that Kevin knew meant _holy fuck_ , Kevin swore he heard Dan yelling from above and somewhere in that noise he could feel his own tortured vocal cords ripping a shout from him-

_**“Brian!”** _

Kevin rushed to his side on instinct. The hunters were only a handful of seconds from catching up to them and- of fuck there’s _four_ of them.

There were two thought that screamed in Kevin’s mind, completely ignoring any external danger:

**1. _Get Brian the hell out of here_**  
**2. _I can’t lose him, I can’t lose any of them_**

In that moment, Kevin had a terrifying thought (well, terrifying in the context of the immediate danger).

_I can’t lose any of them. But, what will happen if I do?_

Kevin pushed that thought away and pulled up Brian. He heaved the guy up by the armpits as he was almost frozen in time, excluding the staticky yells that vibrated through him. Sean darted around him, standing in front of the two and arching his back with a dreadful growl. Even Kevin felt a shiver run down his spine at how menacing his friend looked, the massive grey wolf’s fur spiked along his back and the growl reached into the most primal sense of _fear_.

What terrified Kevin even more, though, was how the monster hunters only _slightly_ hesitated to the sight. But that was all that mattered because as soon as they paused, a shadowy figure swooped in.

In a blink, the four hunters had been knocked to the floor and Daniel was scrambling to stand back up. Dan appeared to have swooped in while transforming into a human in a strategic effort to gain them some extra time. Kevin could hear Dan’s haggard breathing from here, causing his eyes to widen in panic. _Dan’s breathing isn’t too good, one of his lungs doesn’t perform very well,_ Kevin remembered in a flurry.

“Dan!” Kevin shouted, grabbing his attention to the huddled trio. Dan opened his mouth to respon-

_THUD_

Dan fell on his back as one of the hunters pulled his feet out from under him. Before any of them could even attempt to do anything, a net made of rope was thrown over Dan, trapping him.

“Kevin!” Dan yelped as he thrashed in a futile effort to pull off the net. “Guys- lads-” he took a quick breath, “get out of here!”

The trio knew exactly what had to be done in that moment.

(The last time they had lost Dan, even if it had only been for a couple of days, everything crumbled.

Dan had driven everyone out of his mansion when he had finally snapped. He had driven everyone out and cut off all contact, completely isolating himself. It was so quiet for those few days, even though they could talk to each other. It had felt like the entire world had shifted to the left, and they were all stumbling in broad daylight.

When everything had been cleared up, it was like breathing fresh air after being subjected to smoke and ash.

They all knew it. If one of them was caught, they would mourn before pulling themselves together to save them. But, if Dan was gone, they would fray, unravel, and fall apart without a single hope of tying themselves back together.)

A furious cry tore from the three of them, creating a horrific chorus between a scream filled with electrical interference, a howl of a wolf with his teeth all visible, and the ferocity of a human ready to fight for his _best goddamn friend_. Kevin and Sean surged forward with all the force of a bushfire, Brian being left behind them with his lasers flickering online. The hunters had all but regained their footing as the two collide-

\---------

Kevin’s eyes flickered open, feeling sluggish in his movements, in his body. He was sitting on the frigid ground with his legs jutting out in front of him.

Absentmindedly, he lazily gazed around the area.

Something is wrong here.

It was dark and dank, he was in a cement room with pillars around for supports. From what he felt, it seemed that he was tied to one of these pillars. Huh, weird.

Even though he felt dizzy from moving his head around, he looked around a bit more to spot some familiar faces. His friends appeared to be in similar predicaments, both in tiredness and... Tiedness. Is that a word? Kevin doesn’t know, his head is too exhausted for this.

(Something echoes in his mind, even though it feels very far away, but he wonders _’Where is Daithi?_ )

Another thing Kevin takes of note is the fact that there is one door and maybe a couple of windows that are all closed. He frowns, not only is it damp but it doesn’t have good ventilation, making it less than ideal for a fire. If he was to make a fire here, the smoke would rise, but clump up as it starts to choke everyone in it.

The singular door opens with a heavy creak. A figure silhouetted by the light outside steps into the room. They seem familiar.

“Kev! Long time no see, little fella!” The figure laughs as they close the door behind them. Kevin’s eyes struggle to readjust to the light.

Something is wrong here.

“I’m impressed that you actually got around to keeping the tradition alive,” the figure continues, walking towards him. He can feel the lads’ eyes on him.

“Huh?” Kevin responds intelligently, blinking a couple times as the figure becomes clearer. He knows this person(?)

“Your grandfather was one of the greatest after all, but I've never seen a strategy like yours before! Bringing all these monsters together in a group where they feel secure, it’s very impressive,” the figure, a woman, smiled. She leaned over and started to untie the rope.

Kevin stayed silent, using the force of all the thinking power he had at the moment to try to figure out who this is.

Then he realises with a sharp jolt who is in front of him.

Something is wrong here.

_Something is wrong here._

_This is wrong._

**_Get out._ **

But the door and the windows are shut, and the room is damp, and he can feel his friends’ eyes on him and _he knows who this is._

“Hi Aunt Erin,” Kevin forced a smile, feeling every muscle in his face, “how are the kids?”


	2. Imposters and Bad Family Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's like a family reunion but worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Khio for telling me to upload this chapter. It isn't my best stuff but I had fun writing it!   
> Shout out to the VT/Christin server for being based as hell  
> and uhhhh shout out to Havok because whenever he comments I get the vibe of 'father showing up to a child's ballet rehearsal without knowing Shit about dance but still being supportive anyways'.

“How’re the kids?”

Stupid, Kevin, stupid. He hadn’t seen his cousins in years, he probably couldn’t even recognise them in a photograph. Well, Kevin never prided himself on his small talk, especially in stressful circumstances. It just so happened that he was under a lot of stress being in an unknown area with all his friends, tied up to concrete poles and staring at him. On top of that, he wasn’t in the best of shape, especially with the bruises he can feel.

“They’re doing great! Mitch hasn’t seen you in a while and Clarie just got accepted into university-” Kevin, for the life of him, cannot remember who his cousins are, “actually, your uncle Brendan has taken up as head of the family tradition. Isn’t that swell?”

“Sounds great!” Kevin said, trying to give his best ‘I’m-excited-even-though-I’m-secretly-terrified-for-the-livelihood-of-my-friends’ voice.

“You wouldn’t believe Brendan’s reaction when he saw some human running with some of the most infamous monsters this side of the country,” Erin exclaimed as Kevin heard the continued rustling as the fibre rope around him was untied. She gave a defamatory mockery of her brother, “‘what’s some person putting themselves in such dangers with such hideous creatures as those? Wait, is that our boy Kev?!’”

Erin gave a bellowing laugh that echoes back in the complete stillness of the basement, “It was good craic, and now your uncle is awfully impressed with how you pulled this off.”

“Wait, what?” That got Kevin to hesitate. The small amount of his brain that was still in the moment thought back to what she had said before, _”-but I've never seen a strategy like yours!”_

“Your strategy plays so well into your talents. I know your mother always said you never leaned towards the athletic type. You could never be a pursuit hunter like the rest of us, but instead, you leaned to the manipulating type,” Erin giggled, she could barely contain her excitement at his ‘achievement’. “An imposter among the monsters, what a fascinating concept.”

The ropes went slack around his sides, he felt blood flow more freely into his arms, but he couldn’t move at all. A deep, sinking feeling that was nearly nauseating settled in his gut. He kept on repeating and rewinding what she had said, and each time he did he felt more lightheaded. He couldn’t control his static body anymore, he felt flush from nausea and his vision went hazy as if shrouded in smoke.

_She thinks I want to hunt my best friends. She thinks I believe they’re all heinous and foul._

_-And by the look of it, they all believe it, too_

Sean looks physically wounded, recoiling in any way he can, eyes looking Kevin up and down and probably wondering _where is Kevin and what did you do with him?_ Kevin could also see his wolfish aspects peering out in defence. Sean’s teeth were bared, eyes wild, only accentuated more by the terrible state of his disorderly hair. When Erin paused, Kevin could hear through the dead silence - a faint growl from his direction

Brian, although limited facially by his cyborg parts not working fully, looked _pissed_. He was visibly seething, knees pulled up to his chest. He was shaking, and Kevin could barely recognise him as Brian at all. And he was shaking. Oh god, if Brian had the opportunity to, he would tear Kevin apart.

Then, the most painful one, Dan.

Dan… Dan looked completely miserable, heartbroken. He was staring at Kevin and there was no sign of the exhausted yet playful man he had known. Dan just sat there, without any visceral physical reaction like the other two. Instead, Dan was just somewhat agape and entirely dejected. Trailing his hands along the damp moss in a movement Kevin tried to reflect- but he can’t feel the moss because he’s being pulled up and blood rushes to his head-

“Ow,” Kevin winces, rubbing his upper arm from where his aunt pulled him up from. He swears his family knew that his arm-

“Sorry, awkward angle,” Aunt Erin disingenuously apologised, lightly brushing off Kevin as he swayed. “Looking a little green around the gills there, Kev, how’ve things been?”

Well, there are a lot of answers to that question. He could say ‘I have the strong want to set fire to something right now’. Or, he could say ‘you all haven’t contacted me in years and now you’re only interested in talking to me because you think I’m a monster hunter now.’ _Or,_ he could yell at the top of his lungs _’you’re making a lie that I’m only friends with the closest people in my life because I want them dead_ and _that makes me really want to set fire to this godforsaken place but you keep everything so damp and you know that I’ve always hated the cold since I was a kid-’_

Instead, he gives a meek response in one of the quietest voices he’s ever spoken in: “I guess it’s just been a lot the day or so.”

When he turns to see Aunt Erin’s face, her grin is filled with shark teeth. “Ah, then you’ll be able to have a rest in a comfortable bed tonight. I’m sure it’ll be much better than whatever ‘bed’ these monsters have forced you to sleep in during… however long you’ve been sneaking around with them.” 

Once again, Kevin had to restrain himself. Whenever he went to Dan’s house he was always accommodating, consistently cleaning the spare room that he’s dubbed ‘Kevin’s room’ even though Kevin has his own place to go home to. (Kevin would only admit to himself that the walls looked better when the ash had been scrubbed from the walls) It was just how dehumanising his aunt talked about the best people in his life as if he was running wild with not even wolves, but scraggly mutts. Despite how bone-tired he was, it made him furious.

“Hop along now,” his aunt patted his back, guiding him to the door, “everyone is awfully excited to see you after these years.”

Kevin yielded to the touch, knowing fully well that there was no other option.

Kevin was never the type to give up and give in.

But, things have been rather different as of late.

So, he puts one shaking foot in front of the other

and doesn’t look back.

\---------

_First sign: Dan knows that Kevin is never one to go quietly. It terrifies him that Kevin must be in danger to speak as quietly as he did then._

_On the contrary, Brian believes the same thing, but believes that this is just a sign of whoever ‘Kevin’ is cracking out of their shell in a horrific type of metamorphosis._

_They do not talk to each other about this._

_Instead, as the crack of light from the door closes, they sit in silence. All breathing in the putrid, stale air, not saying a single word. Stewing in their individual thoughts._

\---------

Kevin knows the importance of exits. Whatever place he goes to his brain absentmindedly keeps track of every way to escape. It’s important knowledge, especially to a pyromaniac with too much knowledge of fires that grow out of control. A proper exit — one without risk of obstruction — is incredibly valuable. But in the case of danger, such as, say, being in a fight with monster hunters, a better option would be a more secretive exit. An exit that can only be visible when the wind turns, making the flames flicker and dance.

It’s much more difficult to find an escape in an immobile room. In the basement, there was one door which had a guard outside. The stairway was fully enclosed, so it would be easy to get cornered. 

But, the even more challenging place to find an escape from is ever moving and unpredictable. In a room of crowded people, escape is futile, especially when you’re the centre of attention.

\---------

Kevin nearly choked on his breath as soon as he escaped that clusterfeck. He had gotten out by a strangled yelp of _’bathroom’_ before being directed to it. He hadn’t been in such a swarm like that in a very long time, and especially not since he befriended the lads-

Oh.

They’re probably still sitting there in the musty darkness, stewing in what his Aunt said. In what he said.

They hate him, don’t they? 

They think he purposefully got them caught. They think he was never truly friends with them. They think that he could hurt- They think he would- they think he would want to-

Kevin stumbles, feeling a resurgence of his previous lightheadedness with a vengeance. He just barely clambers a grip to the rim of a sink, narrowly avoiding a fast meeting with the tiled floor. Kevin could feel his breath pick up, his eyes lose focus, did they think that of him? Would they think he would do that?

He looks up to see himself in the mirror, still blurry in his eyes. Quickly rubbing his eyes with his hand reveals that he was… Crying. With detached feelings, Kevin watched the droplets trickle down his arm, feeling the trickle down his face. A choked sob wracks through him viscerally. 

His arm flings out again to grab the sink rim as a tremble makes him stumble again. His shoulders felt so rigid and tense and everything was falling apart-

His strangled yelp echos through the bathroom as he jerks back. In his peripheral, something _moved_ in the mirror.

“Whoa there Kev, be not afraid!” A somewhat recognisable voice said, “or whatever the hell they say!”

Kevin blinked when he began to recognise the figure in the mirror, appearing behind him.

“Daithi?”

“The one and only,” Daithi gives an empty bark of laughter, “had to sneak in here transparently, it just takes a while to become fully translucent when I’m tired.”

“Daithi,” Kevin nearly whispers, unable to say anything else. He was here. One of the lads was here and they didn’t hate him.

“You alright there?” Daithi asks, genuine concern creeping into his voice, “your eyes are rather red, and I never took you as a person to do dru-”

“These,” Kevin cuts Daithi off, voice wavering like a match at the end of its stick, “these are my family.”

“Huh?”

“The people who took everyone. It’s- It’s different than what’s normal,” Kevin draws a shaky breath, Daithi uncharacteristically keeping a polite silence, “these monster hunters are my family, by blood.”

Daithi once again goes silent. He doesn’t stare at Kevin, no. Instead, he maintains eye contact with himself in the mirror, gently floating up and down in the way he always did when thinking. Kevin waited anxiously for his response.

“Well, do they matter much to you?” Daithi asked, tilting his head slightly.

“No, not at all, next to nothing compared to the lads,” Kevin says, still quivering but calming slightly as Daithi’s voice.

“Would it affect you if we tore this place apart?” Daithi glanced at Kevin.

“Not at all,” Kevin repeated, beginning to realise where this was going. Instead of drenching his feelings, he began to feel his despair being turned into anger, anger to fuel the fire in him.

“Well, I might have a plan,” Kevin began to feel Daithi’s frigid presence as he became more corporeal, “do you have a lighter on you?”

Kevin nearly laughed, something that felt nearly impossible a few minutes ago, “do you even know who I am?”

“Good lad, Kev,” Daithi gave a devilish smile, “now let’s wreck this shit.”


	3. The Art of Manipulation and Blazes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family should never be bound by blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to kassorsomething for leaving a lovely comment that pushed me to finish this fic!  
> Also, shout out to Jamie and Khio for being great motivators.  
> Most of all, thank you to alittlesliceofcucumber for creating such a well-loved alternate universe :]
> 
> This chapter is just below 5K words(unbetaed uh oh) and singlehandedly doubles the word count, so buckle up!

Kevin does exactly what Daithi tells him to.

_**Step one: Build trust** _

After vigorously scrubbing his face with the tap water, Kevin walks back into the hustle and bustle of the family meeting. They all greet him with unrestrained enthusiasm, asking him questions which he responds to with half-lies, just as Daithi told him. They eat it up.

Kevin hasn’t always been the best at lying, as Daithi pointed out to him. But his half-lies are convincing enough that they all believe him. Apparently enough so that they ask him to do an improvised speech to everyone. Kevin smiles at the request and accepts.

_**Step two: Spread misinformation** _

Kevin’s speech is entirely bullshit. He speaks of monsters as if they were inhuman, saying that you’ll only find them in the dirtiest of areas, places where no human would dare to go. When he sees people taking notes, he really hopes it helps any other monsters that live in the area.

“It all started when I met a Vampire late at night” —half-truth— “who threatened to kill me” —half-lie— “but I eventually got him to like me” —half-truth.

It was almost like saying a story and exaggerating different parts to make fun of Dan. Although, this time it left a bad taste in his mouth every time he said something foul about him. Kevin would’ve preferred to do it a different way, but Daithi said this was for the best.

_**Step three: Repeat the last few steps until they’re convinced you’re one of them** _

For the rest of the evening, Kevin kept up the facade. Even when he ended up exhausted.

It left a heavy pit in his stomach, talking about his friends like this. But he has to remind himself that the end goal is so, so much better than the means. It might hurt to run through fire but it’s better than standing still and suffocating on the smoke. 

He isn’t sure how long he can run through this fire before he burns himself out.

_**Step four: Make your offer, making it seem small and unimportant to the other person** _

“Hey, Uncle Brendan!” Kevin calls him over, voice barely coming over the bustling noise around them. He’s smiling, even though his face hurts and his jaw aches and-

“Oh, howsit goin’, Kev?”Brendan calls back, pushing his way through the sea of people. When he regains his balance, he shoots Kevin a sharkish grin. “I was just teaching your cousins about techniques for vampire ki-”

“I was wondering if I could guard the la- the monsters this evening?” _C’mon Kevin, you’ve been reciting this to yourself for the past hour, don’t slip up a thing._ “I’m not very tired and it seems that everyone is a bit buggered out. Plus, I’d be one of the best to stop them if they tried to get out.”

Every word coming out of his mouth just felt _wrong_ , it was if they were coming from a different person. His uncle seemed to believe it, though.

“Sure! Sure, I’ll start wrapping up the celebrations around now,” Brendan moved to walk away before halting, turning back to Kevin. His blood ran cold _’he’s realised I’m trying to save them, he’s going to throw me down into the damp basement where smoke grows and the others will hate me-’_

His thoughts were cut off by a painful slap of the shoulder, Kevin looked up to see his uncle give him another broad smile. “Good luck, it’s great to have you back.”

Kevin watched, rubbing his shoulder with his left hand, while Brendan walked away to announce the closing of the celebration.

His other hand, shoved in a pocket, was holding a lighter.

\---------

_Flick, burn, extinguish, flick, burn, extinguish, flick, burn-_

“You’re looking very suspicious doing that,” Daithi says, becoming corporeal beside Kevin.

Kevin closed the lighter, slipping it into his pocket. “It would also be suspicious to be talking to a ghost,” he countered playfully.

“Ah, true, true,” Daithi shrugged, leaning against the wall. “They don’t seem to have anyone lurking around, everyone’s leaving or going to their own rooms right around now. Can’t entirely believe you share a bloodline with people who have healthy sleep schedules.”

“We, uh, don’t have a lot in common,” Kevin meekly scratched the back of his head, leaving the larger answer implied. Daithi hummed, a noise Kevin isn’t sure if he’ll ever get used to due to the strange reverb sound it had.

“While I was glancing around the few stragglers were hiding away, wouldn’t be surprising if they’re all snug asleep,” Daithi glanced at him, tilting his head. “I think we should get the lads out now, make sure they aren’t too tired during the escape.”

“Uh, question.”

“Shoot.

“Why,” Kevin took a deep breath, “why do you seem so chill with… all this? You walked in on me having a near fecking breakdown over the possibility of the lads hating me, and now you’re… laxly suggesting about our escape as if some of our lives aren’t on the line.”

“Well, Kev,” Daithi’s voice grew more ghostly, the room grew to a chill. A shiver ran down Kevin’s spine for two different reasons. “If we’re all panicked, running like chickens with their heads chopped off, we’d go nowhere. The truth is that I am as scared as you are, but I’ve chosen not to let it affect my actions. I had a life before this, I know the… dangerous effects of not thinking things through.”

Kevin stayed silent, Daithi never revealed much of history, none of them did (Well, excluding Kevin due to very recent events). Daithi continued.

“I’ll go distract anyone that might be out the front, you can get everyone out of this dogshite place,” Kevin moved to talk, but Daithi cut him off, “I know you know your way around this place, don’t try and hide it.”

Kevin stared at Daithi, lost for words. He took this as a confirmation, nodding at Kevin, “then let’s get the feck out of here.”

Kevin watched helplessly as Daithi floated away, growing more and more transparent until he was gone. It was empty, now.

The slow humming of the electric light above was the only sound in the concrete walls. He couldn’t even hear any noises from inside.

Kevin knows the importance of exits. If a fire grows, knowing where an exit is through the smoke is vital. He even knew this at a young age, running through the halls of this mansion-house-thing. It didn’t matter how blurry his eyes would get, by smoke or other means, even now he knows every way out of this forsaken place.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin turned around and knocked on the door. Listening to it creak due to age as he gently pushed the door open.

\---------

_Second sign: No matter how much he jokes, Kevin will always come back for the Lads when they need him._

_When Dan nearly passed out from refusing to drink blood, Kevin was there to force him to drink from a bag he’d ‘stolen’. When Sean was lost in the forest after a full moon, too tired to find his way back, Kevin was the first person to recognise it. When Brian needed to fix a spot which he couldn’t reach, Kevin followed every instruction he was told. When Daithi has one of those days, Kevin would sit with him in his favourite field, describing every flower and bug he saw._

_So, Sean’s head darted up at the sound of the door opening, eyes blurry from dehydration. It had given him a visceral sense of Déjà vu to see Kevin peeking around the door, it was all too familiar to when he had appeared through the trees, coming to save him when his eyes were bleary from exhaustion._

_Sean had one thought, going against all of his small amount of better judgement, against all he had learned over the past day: He was being saved._

\---------

An awkward silence hung heavy in the air. Kevin glanced from face to face, trying to figure out the proper words for the situation.

Sean looked taken aback, somewhat surprised (as well as extremely exhausted, his hair dishevelled). Brian was a range between mildly ticked off and outrightly (and reasonably) furious. Dan looked conflicted.

Well, it was quite the variety of reactions, so maybe forming the right words isn’t the best thing to idle on for a life-or-death escape.

“Me and Daithi are getting you guys out of here,” he loudly whispered, “I know the path out of here, just follow me,”

Kevin saw Brian squint suspiciously in his direction but shrugged it off. He moved to Sean first, quickly untying the double reef knot that tied his arms around the pole. He could still smell the pungent burnt wolfsbane in the air, meaning Sean couldn't transform as long as he smelled it. He hated the fact that he knew exactly how to grow it, and what part of the garden they grew it in.

Sean’s tired eyes followed him, but he didn’t stand up as Kevin moved on to Brian. Brian tore his own bindings apart and stood up.

“I was waiting for the right timing to escape,” he explained to Kevin, who had taken a step back in shock, “but none of my sensors could sense anything outside of the concrete walls. They must be inlaid with something.”

Kevin simply nodded, feeling Brian’s eyes join Sean’s, watching him move to Dan.

Dan was not only bound but muzzled due to them having no way to stop his vampiric physicality of (what Kevin describes with his advanced knowledge about the supernatural) pointy fecking teeth.

Kevin stared at the knot, a constrictor knot. Someone else tied up Dan, and they were apparently a lot warier of someone else sabotaging the bindings. There was no way to untie this knot, and Kevin didn’t have a knife on him to cut it.

Thoughts rushed through his head, feeling everyone’s eyes on him except Dan’s. Brian’s Lazer would be too dangerous, Sean wasn’t only dead tired but also couldn’t turn into a wolf due to the wolfsbane, so he couldn’t chew the rope.

One idea caught hold, making Kevin pause for consideration. There’s no doubt that Brian would immediately shoot it down if Kevin said it aloud, and Daniel would probably be very cautious to the concept. But, time was wearing thin, there was no other option.

“You just- Can you trust me?” Kevin asked Dan, crouching behind him and the pole.

There was a beat of silence, not even a noise from Sean or Brian. It nearly knocked the breath out of him when Dan replied, slightly muffled, with a confident “yes.”

Kevin pulled out his lighter.

“Whoa there now!” Brian exclaimed, taking a step forward.

“Trust me on this one, alright?” Kevin’s voice was harsh with his desperation. Brian did nothing, not stepping back but staying silent.

The sharp _flick_ of the lighter was followed by the faint blare of burning butane. From this distance, Kevin could hear Dan hold his breath.

The flame flickered and danced, held by his somewhat shaking hands. As carefully as he could, he brought the lighter slowly towards the rope. If he did this cautiously enough, the strands of the rope would singe individually, never once harming his friend. If he was too reckless… he knows too well that fire is unpredictable.

The room held their breath alongside Dan as the first few strands split, curling and blackened. Kevin noticed Dan’s fingers curling as well with the heat, strained. _The result is better than the means_ Kevin has to repeat to himself to keep on going.

When Kevin can hear Dan faintly hissing from the pain, he pulls back.

“Don’t worry, Kev, just get us out of here,” Dan tries to convince him, although he sees how Dan relaxes without the fire so close.

“I think,” Kevin hesitates, inspecting the rope, “I think I got far enough that you can do the rest.”

“Huh?”

“If your hands are adjusted this way,” Kevin moved Dan’s forearms so they were parallel to the pole, “you can pull your arms towards yourself swiftly and break the rest. Just pull with your upper arms, I don’t think a shoulder injury would be very good for an immortal.”

No one laughed at his attempt at a joke.

Dan let out a hesitant breath, moved his arms back, and sharply pulled inwards

_Snap._

Kevin had never before valued his breath so much because his lungs felt so relieved when he finally breathed out. A smile broke across his face. He addressed the group while Dan tore off the muzzle they had put on him.

“Daithi’s scouting ahead for us-” Kevin began, standing up and stretching his tense back.

“Daithi?!” Brian exclaimed, breaking his silence, “I thought- I wasn’t sure-”

“He apparently snuck in to get everyone out, finding me in an…” Kevin paused, unsure of how to describe ‘crying my eyes out because of the sudden realisation that my friends probably hate me.’ He settled on “unpreferable situation.”

“Is he alright?” Brian pushed, completely dropping his angry persona out of concern.

“He was good last time I saw him, which was like, just before I opened the door. He’s scouting out and I’m pretty sure he knows how to sneak past the ghost detection traps.”

Brian nodded, accepting the response. The group settled back into an uneasy silence, both Sean and Dan avoiding looking in Kevin’s direction. The creaking of the house settling into the cold temperatures warned of the growing chill. They have to move. Soon.

“Follow my path, I’ll warn of any traps, they’re all reset after everyone goes to sleep,” Kevin said cautiously, and he was aware of how unnerving it was. He was always the lighthearted one, the one to joke around. Now, here he was, the one leading the group, the one with the experience of the situation. It was if the Earth was tilted.

If he could, he’d have made some sort of joke as a comfort. But, he couldn’t find the will in himself to do it.

One by one, they began to follow him in an orderly line. They were quiet, the only sound being the soft creak of the stairs under four pairs of footsteps.

\---------

Kevin had no idea why he thought they would have not changed the sensors in the many years he was away.

They were halfway there, their collective quiet only broken by Kevin’s occasional warning and Brian’s barely restrained gasp of joy when he saw Daithi. Daithi had met up with the group to quickly tell Kevin that he had everything prepared to distract the front guards. He’d reciprocated Brian’s joy with a smile, floating up to mess with his hair.

For now, everyone was frighteningly in the moment. All extremely aware of every noise they made, and envious of Dan’s ability to have inaudible footsteps. Every so often one of them had the paranoid thought that their heartbeat was loud enough to be heard.

It was slow but safer than any other option. Kevin would check around corners, waiting for any sign of life, then usher the others to follow.

Most of the time they ignored the decoration, the taxidermy heads of animals only made things more unnerving. But, the way that Sean paused to hesitantly observe the wolf head (which was fortunately just a wolf) spoke volumes. Kevin made sure to rush past the glass cases of full taxidermy bats.

But in the home stretch, Kevin had become more desperate, more reckless. As always, that was his downfall.

Brian’s sensors heard it first, the sudden sound of him stumbling drew everyone’s attention.

“People're coming from behind,” he quietly quailed, voice shaking in a way Kevin had never heard from him before, “someone triggered a silent alarm.”

Kevin froze, completely unsure of what to do. In a split-second decision, he whispered one word to his apprehensive friends: “run.”

And so everyone took off down the hallway, trying to run as quietly as they could.

“Down this hall and the last exit to the left, we just need to-” Kevin called out to everyone, but the rest of his words were cut off by the sharp slamming of the doors behind him.

Dan gave out a strangled cry from behind, and Kevin risked a glance backwards.

 _Feck,_ Dan was quickly falling behind, and he could see three- no, four hunters quick on their tails. This wasn’t the ideal place to turn into a bat, and in his human form Dan’s lungs didn’t hold up well.

“Get to the exit ASAP!” Kevin shouted out to the other two, running back to grab Dan.

“Don’t worry about me, Kev,” Dan forced out through gasped breaths, “I’ll only drag both of us behind.”

“You getting caught got us into this situation,” Kevin grabbed his forearm, “and I don’t want to live through this again, c’mon.”

They ran together, sprinting down the hallway with ~~his family~~ the monster hunters hot on their heels. When they both took a sharp left they saw the three other lads waiting there for them, holding the door open.

They burst into the frigid night air, into the outside, and the doors slammed behind them. The others quickly built a barricade against the door out of doorstops and anything else they could find. Everyone chose to ignore the slamming of the door. Kevin glanced around to check if they were all okay, and Daithi appeared less than interested standing over the passed out bodies of the guards.

“What?” Daithi asked, seeing him staring incredulously, “you told me to distract ‘em, now they’re being distracted by their, er, dreams.”

Kevin didn’t bother asking.

“We better get ahead while we can,” Brian suggested to the agreement of others.

They took a light jog in the direction of the old pine forest in front of the mansion. Kevin made sure Dan’s breathing didn’t get too bad, although he was beginning to get concerned over his wheezing.

Once again, Brian shot up, alert. “They’re breaking through the door, lads, pick up the speed.”

They tried to get into the forest before the hunters spotted them, but luck wasn’t on their side that night.

“They’re gettin’ into the forest!” One of them shouted from afar, and the chase was back on.

Except, the environment was on their side now.

Both Kevin and Dan fell back. He gave Dan a pleading look that was responded by a short sigh, “sure, but just this once.”

While Dan transformed and disappeared into the night sky, Kevin pulled out his lighter with a grin. This was going to be quite the show.

\---------

When Kevin caught up and they could hear the crackling of fire behind them, the others didn’t ask questions, they just kept running.

The wolfsbane had worn off apparently, and Sean was pounding ahead of everyone in full wolf form, accidentally kicking up dirt towards them. Daithi was fading slightly from exhaustion, he probably wasn’t used to moving so fast for so long in a corporeal form. Brian looked fine, the cybernetics helping his stamina.

Meanwhile, Kevin had the absolute right to say he was _exhausted_ , the day had been busy enough and he hadn’t had a rest in ages. Then, on top of that, he didn’t have anything special like the rest of them.

“I’m not sure how long I can keep this up, guys,” he huffed out though rough panting. His lungs were demanding more oxygen then he could give them, and the lightheaded feeling he had was his punishment for it. Sean gave a nervous glance back, catching the sight of Kevin stumbling, tripping over a root and barely regaining his balance.

The other three slowed down so he could catch his breath. Brian looked jittery, clenching his fist and looking back the way they came.

“The fire should have distracted them,” Kevin let out a dry cough, watching his breath turn to mist with fascination.

“I don’t think so,” Brian murmured, squinting into the dark horizon, any chance of a clear view obscured by the tree trunks and ferns.

An ear-shattering static sound rings out, all of them crumbling down to take cover. Kevin’s hands instinctively shoot up to his ears. It keeps on going and _going_ until, just as it started, it stops without warning.

Kevin risks a glance in the direction of the noise, only to find Brian. His cyborg arm was shaking and his human hand was firmly holding his mouth shut. His laser eye(what Kevin liked to call it) wasn’t giving it’s typical red glow, either.

“Brian?” Daithi chanced, moving over to him.

Brian frantically gestured to his mouth, pointing at random parts of his body.

If a ghost could go pale, Daithi would’ve done just that, “they’re messing with his cybernetics again, they’ve completely fucked his sensors.”

“ _Shit_ ,” Kevin whispers, staring where Brian once was. The fire had barely brought them any time, the hunters were going to be here soon. Plus, they couldn’t just leave Brian, so now they’re all just sitting ducks.

From where he was crouching, he still couldn’t see any movement in the shadows faintly illuminated by the moonlight. Something nudged his shoulder, and Sean was standing next to him, giving a curious glance. _What are we gonna do now? Our only braincell is up flying in the sky._

With a deep breath, Kevin drew himself up, pulling out a different firestarter (hey, maybe a different one would mean a better fire). With a sharp strike, the striker lit. In a swift movement, soon the plants climbing the tree trunks and the pine needles below were alight.

“Get Brian to a safe spot, preferably a cleared area,” Kevin told Sean, who didn’t bother transforming back when he grabbed Brian’s arm by the teeth, dragging him away.

Kevin was ready for this.

The flames grew into the leaves, into the bark, burning outside to in. It was warm and bright and _delightful_. Despite how exhausted his muscles were, Kevin felt _alive_ and oh so ready.

\---------

Headcount: Dan is safe in the sky, this fight isn’t for him. Brian is somewhere safe and damp. Sean is beside Kevin, teeth bared with a growl that evoked every primal flight sense the human body had. Daithi is on the other side of Kevin, utterly exhausted but entirely ready to fight. Kevin, soot speckling his hair and skin, is still wielding his firestarter after lighting several strategically lit fires.

Even to monster hunters trained not to fear, the sight of the three of them in the burning light of the fire is nearly enough to make someone piss themselves.

Their plan was this: Confront the hunters, break the tech that was harming Brian, then _get the feck out_. It wasn’t worth it to take any more risk.

Sean is the one who runs forward first.

It’s before both Kevin and Daithi see the Hunters, and definitely before the Hunters saw them. Sean just ran forward, dodging around any stray flames, heading straight into the smoke and soot.

A (human) yelp was heard, followed by deep growling and a cacophony of surprised yelling. Kevin glanced over to Daithi, who made eye contact with him and gave a sharp nod. They pushed forward through the smoke.

As soon as Kevin opened his eyes, he noticed they were blurry, watery from the heat and ash. When he wiped them, he saw the full scene: a man lying on the ground, weapon crackling in a fire not far away, a wolf with his back turned to him, growling at three other hunters. One noticed them first, and it gave Kevin such a sad pang in the chest from how _young_ she looked. That moment of hesitation meant he didn't recognise the crossbow she was wielding, nor how quickly she aimed.

The bolt whizzed past him, Kevin jumping to the side in a reaction that would be far too late if it were aimed at him. Instead, the bolt passed straight through Daithi’s ghostly form, making him more irritated than in any way hurt.

A shiver runs down his spine when Daithi, who’s now even _more_ pissed off, zooms past him. Despite the raging fire around them, ash raining from the sky, the air around Daithi is freezing.

Kevin watches, horrified as Daithi grabs the closest Hunter by their upper arm. They fall into the pine needles instantly and don’t get up.

Daithi’s tired so he can sap enough energy from a human to make them _pass out. Holy shit._ That was simultaneously cool as hell and absolutely terrifying.

The other two Hunters were struggling to prepare their weapons due to shaking. One was the girl with the crossbow, another was a person wielding some kinda tech-

Bingo.

“It’s that dude!” Kevin shouted, rushing forward.

_Click._

Feck, the girl had inserted another bolt and was-

Kevin threw himself to the side, soot and dirt filling his vision, arms painfully grazed by the coarse dirt. Through his blurry gaze, he saw Sean shoot past him, running to disarm the one with the crossbow.

Oh feck it hurt, but Kevin pushed himself up from the ground. Dry coughs filled with hot air, soot and dust tore through this throat. Everything around him was blurring into an orange haze, it was so _hot_ , how hadn’t he noticed this?

_Don’t let the fire take control of you. Your allyship teeters on a knife’s edge of you smothering it or it burning you. Don’t let it control you._

Kevin has been in enough fires to know this, so he wipes his eyes until they’re slightly less blurry, he pulls himself up, and takes control of the situation.

 _The escape is behind. Although covered in smoke, there was nothing flammable there to make it unsafe,_ his mind helpfully supplies. Kevin’s eyes lock onto the person wielding the technology who was just… standing there, immobile. 

Kevin is running. He’s running despite his lungs struggling. He’s running despite how exhausted he is. He’s running despite everything because his _friends_ are on the line here and what does he have other than them-?

The shock wracks through his body as he full-body collides with the opponent, knocking both of them down.

They’re both scrambling, clawing at each other and pushing each other. Kevin’s eyes were so blurry that his hands were moving without their aid, just trying to grab onto the tech they had on their belt-

The hunter pinned down Kevin. He heard Sean give a frightened yelp at the sight, and Kevin decided to do something actually smart for once.

With a hand stretched out to the side he grabbed a handful of ash dusted, dry, hot dirt and threw it directly into the guy’s eyes (well, just his general blurry face but it was good enough to hit).

The hunter instantly recoiled, bringing the heels of their palms to their eyes to try to rub it out. Kevin easily slid out of their grasp, hand instantly shooting for the clunky whatever-the-feck-tech on their belt.

The person tried to retaliate, blindly flailing one of their arms out, but Kevin tore it off in a swift movement filled with adrenaline.

He threw it as far as he could into the blaze.

He could barely hear the small blast of the batteries overheating over his heaving breaths. Breathing this hard in smoke is surely not good for your health, but Kevin was so exhausted that he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“We surrender!” Kevin can vaguely hear the person shout, but he can’t tear his eyes from the fire. The fire dancing and crawling and enrapturing the forest. Once green plants crumbling into blackened ash, branches turning into skeletons, the fire tearing into the bark of the trees digging deeper. It’s beautiful and destructive and

There’s a cold presence behind him, and Daithi uncharacteristically gently places his hand on his shoulder.

“We better get going, Dan would be worried sick like the mother hen he is.”

Dan, who allowed him to start this fire. Who saw him setting a pile of trash on fire just to see it burn and decided to become his friend. Who introduced him to all the lads. Sean, who had endless energy and talent to be absolutely hilarious. Brian who loved to yell and play pranks but was a softie at heart. Daithi, who had endless complaints about how the others annoyed him but sometimes had moments like this…

The thing that tears Kevin from the fire enveloping the trees is that Dathi is behind him. The reason that he’s drawn back is that Dan would be terrified for them. The reason he’s grounded is the realisation that he’d go to hell and back for each and every one of them.

“Yeah, we should, the exit’s just over there. I wouldn’t want to worry him too badly, do you remember the last time he got mad at us?”

Daithi laughed and Kevin smiled. The hunters had retreated and they were all _safe_ , even if they were standing in a bushfire.

Kevin didn’t care whatever the hell his family says, he’s safer with his friends than anywhere else.

\---------

_Third sign that Kevin isn’t on his family’s side: Despite just being human, he’d fight tooth and nail just to see his friends again._

_After that night, everyone knows it. Especially Dan who nearly turned Kevin deaf from yelling about the dangers of being surrounded by that much fire._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those that have bookmarked, kudosed, and commented. It all means so much :)  
> It's been a great ride writing this, it's definitely one of the most fun things I've written. I have a lot of plans for the future, so stick around!

**Author's Note:**

> (Hey, quick question for anyone who comments, how interested would you be in joining a discord server?)


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